Nigeria and the Republic of Türkiye have signed a fresh agreement to deepen cooperation in solid minerals development, with the Federal Government declaring that ongoing reforms and crackdown on illegal mining are opening the sector to global investors.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on the sidelines of the Istanbul Natural Resources Summit (INRES) in Istanbul, Türkiye.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Nigeria’s Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, said the partnership would help Nigeria benefit from Türkiye’s expertise in mining exploration, technology, digitisation, training and licensing systems.
Alake said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had given full support to efforts aimed at strengthening ties with Türkiye in the mining and energy sectors.
“Türkiye is one of the countries we are confident of building strong bilateral cooperation with, particularly in the area of solid minerals development,” the minister said.
According to him, reforms introduced in the mining sector over the past three years have improved the operating environment and made Nigeria more attractive to genuine investors.
He said the Federal Government had strengthened the ease of doing business and created incentives that now allow investors to repatriate profits after due process.
Alake disclosed that the reforms had already triggered increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the sector.
The minister also highlighted the activities of the Mining Marshals, saying the special enforcement team had intensified the war against illegal mining across the country.
“As of the latest count, over 300 illegal mining operators, including foreign nationals, have been arrested, while more than 150 prosecutions are ongoing. More than 100 illegal mining sites have also been recovered and returned to legitimate licence owners,” he said.
Alake, who also chairs the Africa Minerals Strategy Group, stressed the need for global peace and reduced conflicts to guarantee sustainable energy security.
“Without peace, discussions around energy security become difficult. The international community must work seriously towards peace if we truly want sustainable energy security for the future,” he stated.
In his remarks, Türkiye’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, described the partnership with Nigeria as strategic and timely.
Bayraktar commended the reforms introduced by the Nigerian government and expressed the readiness of Turkish companies to invest in Nigeria’s mining, energy and hydrocarbon sectors.
“We are ready to invest in Nigeria because of the remarkable initiatives your government has put in place,” he said.
He added that Türkiye sees Nigeria as a major gateway for expanding economic and energy cooperation across Africa.
